As Summer vacation sets in, parents are scrambling to keep their kids entertained as much as possible. Summer camps and activity centers are obviously, the first choice, and a great way for them to get some healthy exercise. But there are a lot of activities that you can do with your kids over the weekends, or when you have some free time, and right in the luxury of your home. Rock Painting, or Rocks Arts, is one such fascinating best-out-of-waste kind of project that can be great for kids of any age group. It is fun, simple, needs very few supplies, and will be a fun, creative weekend project to interact with your kids.

What & Why of Rock Painting?

As the name suggests, Rock Painting involves collecting small stones or rocks of varying shapes and sizes, and turning them into something more meaningful, like a creature, a flower, a centerpiece, a paper-weight or anything else, by being creative with shapes and of course, colors. Moreover, the actual experience of rock hunting also encourages the child to "look" for shapes within the rocks. Does that one look like a little gold fish? Maybe it looks like a shark? How about a flat rock that looks like a "potato"? This will help enhance their natural creativity and sense of imagination, along with the ability to identify and relate objects to one another.

What Do you Need?

The simplest of any kids' activities, Rock painting needs no more than a list of 3-4 things, and most of them, you'll already have in your house, except, of course, the Rocks:)

1. Rocks of different shapes & sizes

2. Acrylic Paint & paint brushes of all sizes

3. Photo or Image you want to create on the rock

4. recycled newspaper - to prevent stains!

How to Do it?

If your child is old enough, and has a natural interest in painting, this project should be fun and easy for him, and can be done with minimal intervention, yet supervision and support from the parents. However, if your child is too young, or not so good at drawing/painting, go easy and choose simple patterns or ideas to recreate shapes and images on the Rocks. Here are some neat Rock Art Ideas that you could try, with complete information about what you need, and the How-To steps, all included:

2. Martha Stewart has a ton of lovely rock craft ideas, with detailed instructions for most of them. The Ladybug, the Frogs, the Pandas and the Turtle are some of my favorites - heck, even adults would have fun doing these!

3.Creativity Portal has a bunch of ideas, weblinks and tutorials on how to get started with Rock Painting, and I'm sure you'll find it inspiring.

4. Use your Imagination, and go wild! Don't just restrict yourself to using paints, you can use tissue paper, threads, ribbons, fiber, glitter or fabric to create beautiful creatures out of stone. Check out some more rock crafts at Lakeshore Learning

5. Finally, take some inspiration from Patty Donathan, who's an established Rock Painting specialist. She has some free tutorials/PDF's on her website, including the "LadyBug" shown in the pic above.

Summer is a great time to go outdoors and play in the sun, though not too much! But there are several ways you can interact with your kids and keep them entertained, as well as inspire creativity by engaging in simple yet fun activities, like Rock painting. Hope these tips and ideas help you and your child create a masterpiece that can find a place on your mantel, something you'll be proud of for years to come!